Lo Bueno, Lo Malo y Lo Feo. (The Good, the Bad and the Ugly)

   Life is always full of it's ups and downs, but this past month seemed to have had its extremes of the good and  the bad. March ended on a tough note with the news of 2 of our Tico 28 group getting hit by a truck (hit and run) and were seriously injured.  After numerous surgeries between the 2, eventually, Doug and Eli had to return to the States, disappointedly, for a long road of rehab and recovery, as well as re-evaluating what lies ahead for them.
   As I mentioned at the end of my last blog, we were very much looking forward to our friends, Tom and Sheri's visit.  On April 2nd, we met them at the San Jose airport with a Happy Birthday sign and balloons for Sheri, as she celebrated her BD with a long day of travel from Ft. Collins.  From the airport, we hightailed it for the bus station to head north and east, as we had heard the buses weren't running the following day (Good Friday) and we wanted to get as close to Parque National Tortuguero as we could on Thursday. This is part of the Costa Rican traditional celebration of Semana Santa (Holy Week); where Thursday afternoon and Good Friday, most businesses, including some bus lines, basically shut down.  Other than that, we were told, Holy Week and Easter are traditionally celebrated with church activities and lots of traditional meals shared within families. One little girl we know from the elementary school, who was raised in the States, and only recently returned to CR, was VERY disappointed to find out from her mom that she wasn't getting to hunt for Easter eggs or a basket full of chocolate and jelly beans left by the Easter Bunny!
      The following day, we enjoyed touring Parque National Tortugero, via canoe, as it is basically an island, surrounded by a maze of canals.

 Using my new binoculars, I got inducted into the world of birdwatching, through the eyes, expertise and delight of Tom and Sheri and our guide. We spotted Toucans, Green Herons, Snowy Egrets

and Montezuma Oropendola. This bird is named for it's golden tail (oro) and the hanging nature of their nests (pendula) which keeps other creatures from stealing their eggs.

In addition we saw caimans, crocodiles and long nosed bats and of course, Francis was enchanted with the biggest beetle I've ever seen.

The rhinoceros beetle inside of a coconut.

  What we didn't see, were any turtles, as they hadn't yet started making their way to the beaches to lay their eggs, which is what makes Tortuguero Park famous.  We enjoyed eating mushy mangos and papayas (Sheri's favorite), fresh fruit bebidas (drinks) and of course the traditional "gallo pinto" breakfast. Gallo pinto(literally means "spotted or speckled rooster") is a mixture of beans and rice, that is fried along with onion, bell pepper, and the famous Costa Rican Lizano Sauce ( made from cumin and cilantro). It is served with an egg and tortilla.

After 2 days in Tortuguero, we took a 3 hr. boat ride south, through more canals and rivers to the city of Moin, near Limon.  Once in Cahuita, we enjoyed hiking and running on the jungly trail, finding more interesting birds, monkeys and the yellow eyelash viper and vine snake, we had seen before.  We were also treated to a high-wire act by a Three Toed Sloth, carrying her baby along an electric wire, right in the middle town.  I'm not sure she knew where she was going, but in the meantime, she put on quite a show! This crab was playing hide 'n seek with us on the trail.

Our friend, the capuchin monkey robber.

This vine is so perfectly climbing up this tree that it doesn't look real!

  We hiked in Cahuita N.P.,  snorkeled and saw beautiful coral and fish, as well as this 6 Legged Creature of the Deep (below).

Both parts of the coast were loaded with beautiful flowers and plants that never cease to amaze us. 

 After 5 days on the coast, we headed back to San Marcos, but caught some bug and learned the lesson, never to eat bus station food again.
     This is where the next "bad and ugly" part comes in.  On our last day together, when Tom and Sheri were getting ready to go to their Habitat Build site in another part of costa Rica for the following week, they received the most tragic news that is every parent's worst nightmare. Their son, Aaron, had been killed in a small plane crash the day before, on his way home from a work site. In a state of shock, disbelief and despair, Tom and Sheri left for the airport and made their way to Victor, Idaho, to be with Aaron's wife, Erica, and their daughter, Erica.  Aaron was a friend to many in Victor and Ft. Collins, where he grew up, including Francis and I, who were lucky enough to take a few backcountry ski trips with he and his wife, as well as be hosted by them, before and after our bike trip through Yellowstone and Teton with Tom and Sheri several years ago. Aaron was a special person, gifted in teaching, athletecism and the ability to live in the moment, especially if he was out in Nature.  Aaron was an inspiration to many and an example of living life to the fullest, a treasure he learned from his parents at an early age. I'll always remember him by his giant smile and his all round happy spirit that he embodied easily.  It wasn't easy seeing Tom and Sheri off, nor returning to a regular day's work.   As author, Anne Lamott says, "it's so hard when the few people you are not supposed to live without die.  You will never get over those losses and are not supposed to...  that person will live fully again in your heart at some point, but their absence will also be a life long nightmare of homesickness.  Grief, friends, time and tears will help to heal their pain."  I only hope we can continue to be the 'friends who help heal', from a distance; though I'm comforted knowing they have many near them who will also help with this journey.
     The 'Friendship Circle" classes that we are teaching at the escuela are going well.  I think the kids' favorite part is acting out the negotiation and mediation scenes and learning to feel empowered by their new skills.  Here's to hoping it makes a long term difference for them in their lives.
      At the high school (Liceo), we continue to get to know the kids better through our mentor training classes and with the group of students who are getting excited about the service work they are planning to do at the local CENCINAI.  This is the Center for Education and Nutrition, where low income families bring their young children for lunch M-F.  One class of 10th graders from the Liceo here, will be starting their 30 hours of mandatory service, improving the outdoor environment at the CEN, along with a group of 8th grade students from a private school in Asheville,NC; whom we are helping to organize host homes for during their 5 day stay later in May.  We've made friends in San Marcos from this process and look forward to seeing the connections the US and CR students will make during their time together.  In addition, we've facilitated an educational program for the parents of the kids who attend the CEN for lunch.  Some University students from a psychology class at a small private university in San Marcos, will be teaching a series on parenting and child development, starting this week.  I'm looking forward to both seeing it get off the ground, as well as learning their style of teaching parents, and as always, learning more Spanish!
    The week after Tom and Sheri left, we spent 3 days at a Sex Ed workshop in San Jose for PCVs in the Youth Development sector.  We were accompanied by 2 science teachers and 2 students from our high school, so that our team can help bring the techniques for teaching AIDS and pregnancy prevention, sexuality and relationships, to the kids we work with.  Besides the great info we learned, I loved the opportunity to get to know the people that we work with better, as well as spend 3 days with our group of Tico 28!
     I got to celebrate my birthday several times this April.  Francis prepared a special dinner before we left for our training, which we shared with Christelle (a PCV, who is Vilma's project partner and also had a BD in April), as well as Vilma and Monica ( our host family).


At the training, we celebrated with PCV friends again, as well as over the weekend, when Francis and I took another short adventure to a part of CR we hadn't yet ventured to: Isla Chira, in the north part of Nicoya Bay.  Can't say that I'd go back there again, because it was so hot and dry, but we did enjoy being on bikes for the first time in 10 months, as well as more birding and walking the beach.  It's a very laid back place without many cars, so we also revelled in the peace and quiet as well as the fishing culture, which is quite different from the coffee based economy in the mountains.

I started another BD tradition this year, inspired by Hannah.  I'm going to do a handstand a day for a year to develop arm and trunk strength. You can measure my progress via Instagram and/or join in on the fun!  Hannah says "you'll be glad you did"!  (The beach is the best place to practice handstands and as you can see there is much room for improvement!)

I cherish the time that we spent with Tom and Sheri.  It was a joy to share our new home and PC experience with them!  So there you have it: 'lo bueno, lo mal y lo feo', from this past month.   Our time  here in Costa Rica and on this earth is short, may we tread lightly, with gratitude and mindfulness; and we are grateful for each one of you in our lives!